Due to economic reasons we are having to make some changes to how we feed our flock. Previously we fed only Purina layena omega 3. The cost over the winter was horrible. Nearly put us out of business completely. We were paying $17 a bag @ 10 bags a week plus 5 of scratch at $12 a bag. Needless to say... ouch. We recently found a supplier for whole grains (not certified but it is organic). 40 lb bags of barley or oats or wheat for $10 a bag.... and free delivery if he's already making a delivery our way to a nearby dairy. The birds LOVE the new grains and we are also working to build a fodder growing system to grow the grains over the winters. We will continue to feed a percentage of their diet from pellet but what I don't know is what percentage of each should they get?
They are grass/field fed daily. They are decided into two flocks and each flock has about 2 acres of pasture to roam. We rotate pastures about twice a month depending on the time of year. I don't have any caged birds at all.
What percentage of each feed should they be getting and how much of each now that the spring grasses are starting to come in?
Do your homework with a fodder system. The results you see posted are difficult to understand. First, you need to understand that to analyse feed, it must be in the dry form. This is referred to as dry matter (DM). All the water has been removed and all you are left with is protein, carbohydrates, fat, vitamin and minerals. The values they post are for DM and not as fed making the product look more valuable than it is. Fodder however is about 85% water. 85% of what you are feeding has no calories, no nutritive value, no calories. It's just plain old water. Let's look at it as you would prepare and feed it. Typically, you would take 2# of seeds, soak and rinse and let them develop over a 5-7 day period. They sprout and you end up with a typical #13 biscuit (what they are calling a 2' tray). Simple math. If 85% of that biscuit is water that equates to 11# (13 x ,85 = 11). Add back the #2 of seeds that you originally started with and you magically end up with #13. What did you gain? Don't you think if you could in fact take #2 of product and end up with #13 of equally nutrient dense feed in 7 days, that the entire planet would be doing it? There would be no such thing as world famine.
The next thing to look at is just how much feed you are currently going through. Right now you are feeding #750 of mixed feed a week or #4.7 per hen. That's about double what you "should" be feeding. My chickens are out everyday sunup to dusk and 24 mostly DP hens are going through one #50 a week or #2 each. My average temps as 45/30 and consumption can double with extended periods below freezing. I would also assume since you are in the egg business, all your birds are smaller bodied layers with good feed efficiency. Where are you loosing feed? Birds, mice, weather, dogs...? You like the Purina product and have seen good results with it. Are you buying it by the pallet? You should be saving $1 a bag that way. Have you reached out to your Purina feed rep to see what they can do for you? Buying bulk is really the only way to go. A bulk feed bin that will hold 2 ton (a 5 week supply for you) is not that expensive ($1000-1600) and just to eliminate the never ending pile of empty feed bags and trash is a blessing. How much are you paying for trash hauling? That's another part of the feed cost. This is all you are looking for.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ValCo-2-9-Ton-Bulk-Feed-Storage-Bin-/231182625752
When you buy feed in bulk, you either pick it up in a #1000-2000 tote. (mills have different minimums) or the mill will come out and auger it into the bin. If you do it yourself, you will need a small tractor with a bucket that will allow you to pick up the tote and empty it into the bin.
A few things I would do to reduce feed reliance is to start a mega compost pile. Each pasture should have a minimum of a 10x100 compost pile. Contact a local landscape company and offer a place for them to dump clean yard waste. You could probably even charge them $10 a load and it would be cheaper than taking it to the dump. Next find a craft brewery in town that needs to get rid of spent grains. You should be able to pick up a pickup load for free. That would help jumpstart the compost pile as well as provide a good protein source. Find a manure removal company and let them dump their poop in your pile. You don't want excess shavings or hay. Add your own chicken waste. Keep them off of it until winter when the pasture is limited. The chickens will get in there and work the pile reducing it to almost nothing by spring. Scrape up what's left, spread it on the pastures and start over. Are you best buds with the produce manager at your grocery store? Not uncommon for them to throw out cases of produce every day (trimmings, spoilage). Feed some of it but the older ickier stuff, add to the compost pile. Try your hand at mealworms too. To add some green to their winter diet, buy some high quality dairy alfalfa. You want fine stems and a lot of leaves. It's a good protein and Ca source. It will keep the yolks orange and provide hours of entertainment for the hens.
